Yahaya Bello, the former governor of Kogi State, was given permission by a Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday to travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to observe the final ten days of Ramadan.
It was stated that Justice Emeka Nwite granted the plea following a motion submitted by the ex-governor’s counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN).
In the January 19 and January 20 motion, Daudu asked the court to grant his client a temporary foreign passport release so that he might undertake the smaller hajj (Umrah).
He said the former governor intended to go between March 13 and March 22, during the tail end of the Islamic fasting month, which this year spans from February 18 to March 19.
Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) counsel, stated that the organization had no issues with the application.
Bello told the court that while he would have loved to spend the entire 30 days of Ramadan, he was being mindful of his pending trial when asked how many days he intended to spend in the Holy Land.
Bello remarked, “I have not travelled outside this country in the last eight years.
“I would have loved to observe Shawwal right away after spending the entire month of Ramadan in Mecca, but I won’t want to take anyone for granted.”
He said that he would only be in Mecca for the final ten days of the fast.
Justice Nwite’s decision on the motion stated that the court had no justification for rejecting the request because the prosecution had not objected.
“I have listened to the submission of the learned counsel to the defendant and also observed that the prosecution is not opposing the application.
The judge decided that the defendant will only go in the Holy Land for ten days, starting on March 13.
In order to continue the trial, the judge postponed the case to January 30.
The EFCC is prosecuting Yahaya Bello for allegedly engaging in financial mismanagement while serving as Kogi State’s governor.
